Go, Texas !!!
 

Now this is the ring of freedom and libertarian government, right here. :thumb:

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/cit...g-budget-bust/

Sick and criminal.

The land owner nailed it when she said "we have been targeted by the system because we're showing people how to live without it."

Yep, that's pretty much it.

I am against outrageous lawsuits for the most part. But in cases like this, it seems you either have win a suit, or simply shoot a bunch of nuts to get any effect.

Can't have those darned* dirty hippies stinking up the area

Good catch, FR. Hope they place and win a lawsuit.

Thanks

I lived in Arlington for a couple years when we first moved to Texas -- hated it. Its an old and dirty city that wants its population towing the party line.

Were you happier to leave or were they happier to see you go?

I was happy I got out of there, I don't make a lot of waves and try to stay under the radar.
I really hated Texas when we first moved here and when we got out of Arlington it turns out I love Texas, I just hated Arlington.
North side of Dallas is much better than west and south (Arlington is mainly on the south side in between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Sad that any lawsuits would have to be picked up by the taxpayers.

As some of us have been saying, you must keep BOTH eyes open.
Threats to our liberty come from the left AND the right.
Evil in power, knows no political affiliation.

With too many laws nowadays to keep up with you can be sure they will find a reason to give them a hard time. More laws= less freedom.


"a handful of citations were given for city code violations, and zero drug related violations were found"

I suspect the raid had less to do with the fact that that they "are growing the consciousness that will allow people to live freely and sustainably, and the system doesn’t want that to be known," and more to do with the place looking like a dump, and the neighbors getting fed up with it.

I seriously doubt that.
Unless you believe SWAT teams are routinely called out for code enforcement issues.
When looking for possible answers, look to the most obvious one first.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor
I think some are oblivious or just incredulous to the evil effect that power has on people.

You can determine the tyrants at heart.....you know, the folks who support tyranny over their neighbor, by their very approval of using swat teams and tens of thousands of dollars for code enforcement.

Probably the police were on a "fishing expedition," going on the assumption that a bunch of hippies naturally had to be pot-smokers ... right? :rolleyes:

But I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that these tree-huggers' Free Love Farm was planted right smack-dab in the middle of suburban Yuppieville, and that got their neighbors' backs up.

Edited to add: From the original article:

So, yes, the complaint was 50% code violations, and I'll bet that was the tail wagging the dog, and the drug stuff was just thrown in in hopes of catching some hapless dope-smoker. And giving an excuse to trot out the SWAT team, of course. I mean, we've got all these neat toys, why not play with them?

The city could have saved tons of money and put up a privacy fence..... but where's the bravado in that ?

Oh, there's no doubt that their way of living doesn't conform and meet the approval of their yuppie neighbors, no argument there.
I've had a few "discussions" involving code enforcement over the years, but just a few.
I always stay 2 steps ahead of them, know the laws and ordinances better than they do and when necessary, have no hesitation in confronting the elected gov't commission in authority and reminding them who is their employer.:frypan:
So far, when confronted directly, in a firm but non violent manner, they always back down.
By far the best defense is to live out of their jurisdiction, but you have to be mindful that gov't is always trying to encroach on your domain.

The second part of your observation is in fact their Achilles heel.
They DO in fact use public money taken from the taxpayer to buy these lavish toys. They have to justify the expense by their need for them. But in using a tactical force with expensive equipment designed specifically for taking down well armed criminals engaged in a violent crime, on a group of peaceful citizens for an offense such as an overgrown lawn, a taxpayer can easily point out that money would be better served being returned to his own bank account.
If you want to play with toys, pay for them out of your own pocket!

The other point beyond the financial, is one brought up many times, particularly with city dwellers.
"That guy over there is lowering my property values!"
Very well.
I can show you in many ways where the right to own a piece of property is well established.
Now, show me the statute, law or ordinance that says you have a "right" for that property's value to increase. An established and expected profit written into the law.
Safety from disease and vermin is another matter entirely. For a property to reach that level of decline, there will be obvious proof, and any good neighbor would avoid letting it get to that point.
I seriously doubt that was the case here, and even if it was, I refer you to my first point. A SWAT team would NOT be the method and personnel to use.

Why o why, would anyone wanting to live an alternative lifestyle, plop themselves down in a city, any city, wherein one must follow the norms, or be subject to harassment and fines... move to the country, where nobody cares if your grass isn't cut, if there's junk in the yard, or whether you have noisy farm animals....

A privacy fence is indeed your friend (although I don't think it's the city's responsible to install it).

What our house looks like from the road ... (and there is a 6ft. wooden stockade fence behind those forsythias). :grin:
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psa600e2f6.jpg

Wouldn't it be a hoot if the folks did sue, and part of the settlement was that each jack boot thug in attendance on the big day had to show up again, donning bib-overalls, a post hole digger and hammer ?






:hysterical:

Modern technology foiled yet again........
Helicopters and drones for spotting Mary Jane . . .
And NONE was found by the jackboots . . . . . .

Yes standing at the mouth of a yellow jacket / wasp nest, extending the middle finger is more than a bit precarious.
And so dropping a law suit on the wasp's nest will be a very hard way to try to prove a point.

After a couple hours of REAL work, they'd be crying like little girls ... :hysterical: